Pumpkin Run Pulse

One of the American Midwest jewels along the Wabash River is the village of New- Harmony, Indiana.

I refer to it as a village because most cities I've been in come equipped with at least one school, bank and grocer. As I'm writing this, New Harmony has none of those things!

I've gotta say though, even if New Harmony did have them, it would still be, in my estimation, a village. If you've been there yourself, you'll already know why I see it as such and by no means do I use the term village in a negative fashion.

It's much like many of the beautiful villages one might come across in a favorite book or bedtime story, but with modern conveniences like automobiles, internet service and indoor plumbing.

Not long ago, something old and wonderful was brought back to life in the village, in the modern form of a classic newspaper called The New-Harmony Gazette which used to be published weekly from 1825 through 1828.

The new Gazette looks very much like the old Gazette, but it's been tweaked to make it easier to read and readily accessed in both a physical and electronic version. So, if you'd like to enjoy your Gazette writers with a delicious scone and your fav java blend at Sara's Harmony Way, or prefer to get your news on the fly via the internet you're covered. You can read The New-Harmony Gazette online by visiting The Posey County Observer website at poseyobserver.com where the two news services combine their editions for online readers.

A short shout-out here to let you know that Sara's Harmony Way is where I browsed through the Gazette's most recent edition this past weekend. It was my first visit there and I loved it! In fact, one of the Gazette writers, Denise Rapp, works there and she's the one who blended my Dirty Chai Espresso.

Both the gourmet coffee and blueberry scone I got for lunch were delicious! I'll have more on Denise's writing and Sara's Harmony Way in a later edition. If you've not been there yet, please don't wait for my review 'cause you're missing out on a beautiful interior, awesome service and fantastic-tasting food!

My thanks to local artist and indie biz owner, Rita Davis, for introducing me to this gem of an establishment and even providing a knowledgeable and detailed tour of the restaurant's beautiful and intriguing interior.

Team Gazette's Captain

Dan Barton, publisher and his K9 pal guest, Colby.

Dan Barton may own, publish and write editorials in a retro-newspaper but he's not even a little bit like the stuffy, chubby, cigar-smokin', coffee slurping publishers you see in the old movies.

Clark Kent and Peter Parker would have loved to have had a publisher like Dan at the helm. He's witty, knowledgeable and inquisitive and seems comfortable in both professional and social environments.

I've decided he's got an excellent eye for art that isn't limited to a specific style or genre. The Gazette office houses a good bit of it and it's a fascinating place to visit just to see the eye-candy interior. From sculptures to musical instruments it's beautifully decked out with enchanting pieces that will grab and hold your attention, while maintaining a comfortable and homey atmosphere that should inspire any writer to produce great copy.

My sister and I (Alicia of On Story Street) enjoyed an excellent visit with three of the Gazette part-time columnists and since then, we've been making our way through some of the older editions of the paper and being dazzled by the diversity and talent the Gazette is packing into each edition.

Diversity without the slant

A factor I've not had even a tiny bit of liking for that I've observed in many newspapers is their slanted agenda showing up in their content.

I'm relieved to have not seen that in the articles I've read in the Gazette. Not saying the editorials are lacking in opinion, but that what actions have been observed or reported from sources are being written to reflect accordingly.

That's the sort of journalism I love and respect. It means you, as a reader, won't be spoon fed something that's been groomed and cultivated to provoke a specific response in you. The entire scope of obtainable information is included, and once presented you're able to come to your own conclusions and opinions based on, " ... just the facts, Ma'am."

Breaching borders

Just because a newspaper is based in a small, rural community, doesn't mean their news coverage is limited to news of that area. The New-Harmony Gazette is a prime example of that. Due to New Harmony being comprised of an eclectic citizenry, the folks who live there bring in an interesting array of backgrounds, many that represent places far away from the rivers' land. Therefore, although the Gazette's prime focus may be local news, it hasn't left out news from other areas that the locals find interesting.

It also includes occasional articles from writers who aren't living in the area, but have some sort of personal or professional link to New Harmony or the surrounding area. As for the local writers, they're easily spotted out and about regularly enjoying the village and participating in local doings.

One of the aspects I love about the online version is that you can be verbally supportive of the writers by leaving them comments at the end of each article. Positive comments are always very encouraging to journalists, so I hope you'll consider letting them know when you come across a story you've enjoyed reading. The Gazette writers exhibit a great deal of talent and polished work in their articles and I've no doubt they'd sincerely appreciate your feedback.

Otherwise, you can reach out to them via snail mail by writing to

The New-Harmony GazetteP.O. Box 551New Harmony, IN 47631

Indie biz opportunities

Readership for the Gazette is growing for good reason. It's producing quality articles on a variety of topics, which makes it an awesome choice for affordable advertising. If you'd like to purchase ad space in the paper, reach out to Dan Barton and he'll be happy to discuss the details and options with you.

This is yet another way of interacting with and supporting the indie biz (independent business) community which is always a worthwhile effort. In this case, it's also a way of supporting a veteran-owned indie biz because Dan Barton is a U.S. military veteran, Viet Nam era.

Thank you for the interview Dan and for being an excellent host. More importantly, thank you for your service.

Finish Line

That's it for this one! I hope you've enjoyed getting familiar with The New-Harmony Gazette and that I've enticed you to explore it further and hopefully to become a regular reader. I'll have more news on some of the Gazette's writers in upcoming editions. I'm certain you'll be as impressed with them as I am and in turn, their efforts will gain some ground in finding new fans.

You know I'm called and compelled to share the good stuff!

God bless you, thanks for the read and please don't forget to thank a veteran at your next opportunity!

Femme, I checked out the paper and it has all the makings of a small town publication while keeping the townsfolk informed. I'm so happy for your town that Dan Barton has resurrected this historical paper.

Did I miss something? You thank Dan for the interview in this post, but I didn't see one.

Regardless, he's done a wonderful job of bringing a small town paper back to life and you've done a great job of highlighting an important indie biz operation.

Reply

femmeflashpoint

6/9/2015 09:00:08 am

Hi Shauna,

To clarify, New Harmony isn't my town. It's a village in Posey County, not many miles away from where I live, in the much smaller village of Stewartsville, Indiana.

I did interview Dan for this article, however it was a very relaxed and non-formal yet informative interview in which we discussed several subjects and from which I gleaned much of the information listed in this article in a less stiff and formal fashion. I also did spot interviews with several other citizens and indie biz owners in New Harmony prior to writing this, for the same purpose.

So, nope, you didn't miss anything. It's represented in the fashion I intended it to be and Dan's input, as well as that of other writers in the area will likely feature prominently in several new editions of flashPress coming up over the next several weeks.

For such a rural area there's a whole lot of interesting goings-on to write about.

Thanks for the visit and the supportive comment!

femme

Reply

Vicki

6/9/2015 02:51:54 pm

femme - I really enjoyed this interview, conducted in your usual inimitable way, relaxed and smooth! I also get a kick out of village newspapers. We have one here too, and I noticed similarities in the headlines, which is a hoot! In the Gazette it's noted that no DUI's were given. In ours if you exceed the speed limit you'll make the headlines!
There's something very reassuring about the goodness of mankind in village newspapers, and I love reading them!
Good luck to the staff at the Gazette. I think the resurrection is a truly interesting thing, and love your review.

Reply

femmeflashpoint

6/10/2015 01:05:59 am

Hi Vicki,

I wonder if parents and grandparents read headlines like that and breath a sigh of relief and a prayer of thanks. In towns where everyone knows everyone, getting mentioned in the paper is either a really, really GOOD thing or a very BAD one. ☺

I love it, lol!

The N-HGazette reports serious stuff in expert fashion, but has fun and interesting articles. too. It's just a well-rounded publication with interesting reads for everyone.

Thanks for the visit and the excellent comment!

femme

Reply

Angie

6/10/2015 12:40:43 am

Loved this, Femme! It just makes me feel a wee bit jealous that I don't have a local paper that divulges the locations of the best waterholes...

It's so wonderful to learn of places like this and folks that are just down-to-earth and embracing the simple.

Reply

femmeflashpoint

6/10/2015 01:18:01 am

Angie,

That was such an awesome article! I didn't know which I loved more, the info or the photos! I shared it across the social network venues hoping other news agencies would that of all the stuff they could be reporting for their areas, the ones with swimmin' hole information should take priority, especially in the beautiful areas like the one you live in.

There's just so much room to move in a small town newspaper. Peeps would think they might be shy on news, but that's not the case. There are loads of interesting things to report on in small and rural communities and I'm way excited about the sterling fashion the N-HGazette writers are doing it with.

This was an excellent introduction to Dan and his handsome sidekick, Colby.
Village newspapers with integrity and diversity are few and far between. The NH Gazette is a stellar example for sure.
Your passion and enthusiasm was infectious in this review - almost as if you are a writer...LOL. Awesome work, my friend. Love, mar

Reply

femmeflashpoint

6/18/2015 03:53:02 am

Dear Prof. Mahreer,

This interview was so much fun! And the NHGazette is the bomb! I'm seriously loving the articles and familiarizing myself with the variety of styles and interests of their gifted writers.

They do a superb job of writing in a very professional yet personal fashion and they cover stuff loads of readers would have interest in whether they live in, or are from, the Rivers' Land or not.

And the fact that the editorials are presented in a factual and complete fashion ranks wayyyyy high with me.

I think the locals are very blessed to have such a newspaper and sincerely hope I can generate some positive attention for it and help develop an ever growing fan base.

Thanks for the support and interest! The local readers will appreciate it as much as I do!

femme

Reply

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